


The Bouquet (That Started it All)

by kc_evans



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Awkward Flirting, Cake Gone Missing, F/M, Flirting, Foot Massage, Garter Toss, Kick Off Those High Heels, Matchmaking, Romance, Things Always Go Wrong at a Wedding, Wedding Fluff, You Just Need to Accept That, bouquet toss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-17
Updated: 2015-06-17
Packaged: 2018-04-04 07:34:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4129824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kc_evans/pseuds/kc_evans
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At Alistair and Elissa's wedding, Ellana catches the bride's bouquet. And then she meets the man who caught the garter.</p>
<p>Fluffy. Unbeta-ed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Bouquet (That Started it All)

**Author's Note:**

> From wandering-in-thedas‘s tumblr prompt found [here](http://wandering-in-thedas.tumblr.com/post/117128294970/another-au-idea-while-i-wait-for-class-to-start).

Ellana Lavellan was happy for her friend, she really was. But having to wear a dress she could barely afford, put on a pair of heels that was slowly and systematically cutting off all circulation, and plastering on a constant fake smile was not her idea of fun. Added to her list of growing complaints was a giant of a man wandering around, muttering to himself, “Cake. I was told there was cake. Where is it?”

“I guess he found it,” she murmured from a safe distance, watching the dark-skinned man spot and stalk over to a small side table.

Leliana glided over then, looking giddy and gorgeous in her lavender bridesmaid dress that somehow did not clash with her hair. “Ella, come on! You have to join us single girls for the bouquet toss.” Without waiting for a response - and really, the red-head could be very insistent when she wanted to be - Leliana grabbed her hands and hauled her up to her feet.

Trying to hide a moan as sharp twinges of pain swathed her heels, Ellana reluctantly followed her friend to a small swarm of single women chatting excitedly to one another. Why was everyone so happy? Of course they were at a wedding, but was she the only one who just wanted to go home, put on an old movie, and eat popcorn and ice cream until she fell asleep?

“You found her, Leliana!” Josephine exclaimed, reaching out to tuck Ellana at her side, as if she was afraid the other woman was going to bolt. “And just in time, I think Elissa is getting ready to throw.”

On the heels of that remark, the bride made an appearance at the balcony above them, grinning widely. Her curls were slightly mussed and her lipstick smudged. Leliana groaned. “I told Alistair to keep his hands to himself for just one more hour!”

Ellana couldn’t help but snicker as the groom came into view, looking just as disheveled as his new wife. As everyone caught sight of their tousled appearance, a few men let out whistles of approval which Alistair proudly acknowledged with a wave. “Maybe it was Elissa who was misbehaving,” she suggested.

Looking scandalized, Leliana immediately shook her head. “She told the makeup artist to apply three separate coats of lipstick because she didn’t want her face to look washed out in the photos. She wouldn’t - would she?”

Josephine giggled. “She might.”

“Are all my single ladies ready for the bouquet toss?” Elissa called out. The women - minus Ellana who let out a half-hearted ‘yes’ - cheered and waved their arms in the air. “Okay, here I go!” Turning, she tosses the bouquet over her shoulder, then spun around eagerly to see who would catch it.

Ellana watched as the nosegay sailed into the air. She had no intention of even reaching for it when she saw both Josephine and Leliana stretch their arms out in an effort to catch the bundle of flowers. Other ladies jostled each other good-naturedly to get in the right position. And suddenly, without her body being told to, Ellana jumped up and snatched the bouquet in mid-air. She almost knocked over three women in her effort to land, but she caught herself and then winced when her feet immediately retaliated with waves of pain.

Staring at the bouquet in her hand, a large cluster of yellow and lavender roses and carnations, Ellana wondered what just happened. What the hell?

From above, Elissa laughed as she clapped her hands. “Congratulations, Ella, you’re going to be the next bride!”

And suddenly cheers erupted around her. Leliana smirked at her and Josephine gave her a hug. “You did it!”

Ellana automatically smiled as her friends gathered around to wish her congratulations but she couldn’t believe she had actually reached up to grab the bouquet. What was wrong with her? She hadn’t even been enjoying herself!

Well, that quite wasn’t true, she conceded. It was nice to see old college friends again, especially those who had moved away for careers or further schooling. Ellana herself had stayed for the graduate program to specialize in addiction counseling. And to see Elissa finally marry to Alistair was worth even limping feet.

“Come on, ladies, let the men through. We still have to do the garter toss,” Alistair said, making a shooing motion with his hands. As the men gathered below the balcony, the groom helped Elissa sit down on a chair and grinned as he lifted the hem of her wedding dress to a modest height. The men whooped as Alistair slipped his hands under the dress to draw down the dark blue garter. “All right, gather up and let’s see who’s next to get his own ball and chain!” he shouted cheerfully.

“Alistair!” Elissa exclaimed, torn between looking horrified and laughing.

“Sorry, love,” he said, not looking sorry at all. Winking at his bride, Alistair turned and flicked the garter over his shoulder to the men below.

Unlike the women, none of the men screamed or reached up for it. Instead, all of them suddenly backed away, leaving a lone man in the middle to catch the garter. Looking extremely confused, the blond haired recipient glanced around with the blue, lacy, elastic band in his hand. “What’s going on?”

Alistair almost collapsed against the balcony railing as he roared with laughter and most of the men joined in. A slender figure whom Ellana vaguely recognized as Zevran came forward and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. “You’re the oldest of us, Rutherford. You need to get married first before we young, gorgeous ones do.”

Ellana had to admit that the blond man took the ribbing with good-nature as the rest of the bachelors surrounded him. “I’m so glad you guys didn’t do that to me,” she muttered to Josephine and Leliana.

“You caught it anyway,” Leliana reminded her. Then she clapped her hands. “Picture time with the two lucky winners!”

Within seconds, Ellana found herself next to the blond man and a photographer in front of them with a huge camera in front of his face. “Put your arm around her, sir. Yes, at the waist. And miss, step closer to his side. Hold up the bouquet and garter. Not in front of your face, at chest level. Perfect. Don’t. Move.”

Ellana had a frozen smile on her face, all but snuggled against the tall stranger. He smelled good at least, something like mint from his shaving cream and the faintest whiff of red wine from dinner. The arm around her waist was warm, but stiff and his hand barely curved around her hip as if he didn’t know where to touch her.

“Let me know if this is getting uncomfortable for you,” he murmured to her between his own wide smile.

“This entire night has been, to some degree,” she grumbled.

He chuckled and, close as Ellana was, she felt his chest rumble against her cheek. “That’s weddings for you. You want to celebrate with them because you’re happy for them but it’s torture at the same time.”

Astonished to find somebody who agreed with her, Ellana moved her head to look straight up at him. “That’s what I think! I thought I was the only one.”

“I said not to move, please,” came the photographer’s impatient voice.

A retort sat on her tongue but Ellana kept it to herself as she settled her head back against the blond man’s chest. “What’s taking so long to take a few pictures?” she muttered.

Her picture partner laughed again. “I’m Cullen, by the way.”

“Ellana.” Then her eyes widened as his name sank in. “Oh! You’re Alistair’s roommate.”

“Former roommate,” he corrected. “I got kicked out months ago when Elissa started moving her things in. Not that she had that much left to pack by the time they got engaged.”

“Hah, I can imagine,” Ellana said. After the first date with Alistair, Elissa had already decided what date her wedding was going to be. Ellana would have felt sorry for Alistair for marrying such a planner but apparently he had contributed his opinion on the venue and what kind of cheese plates he wanted for hors d'oeuvres. She knew then they were perfect for each other.

“Can you? I was this close to asking Elissa to start paying her share of rent.”

Ellana had to smile at that. “Why didn’t you?”

“Because she scares me. And I’m not afraid to admit it.”

That did it. Ellana burst out laughing at such an absurd admission, ignoring the huff of indignation from the photographer. “Are you serious?” she gasped between giggles. “Elissa is the sweetest woman alive!”

Cullen slanted her a wry smile. “You don’t know her that well, do you?”

“Well enough,” she said defensively. They had been sorority sisters for two years back in undergraduate school. Their chapter was rather small but very active, and Ellana had gotten to know a lot of the women through the Greek organization, like Leliana and Josephine. But Elissa had been older and busy with her responsibilities as president as well as juggling school and work. And while she was always warm and pleasant, she was unable to spend too much time with the younger sisters. Ellana had been surprised to receive an invitation to the small wedding but that also made it near impossible to decline.

“Well, I’m a firm believer that you don’t know anyone until you live with them,” Cullen said. “And for the past two years, I’ve had an extra roommate. But it’s all right. Elissa makes a mean omelette and she always makes the bathroom smell nice.”

“Fringe benefits,” Ellana said with a grin.

Cullen smirked back. “You know it.” He sighed longingly. “I do miss Elissa’s cooking. Now I’m relegated to eating Poptarts in the morning.”

“Poor you,” she teased. “It must be such torture.”

Josephine drifted by just then, holding onto a glass of champagne. “Are you two still talking? You missed the excitement,” she said.

Surprised, Ellana looked around them and noticed everyone had drifted back to the tables. Even the photographer had left, setting up near the bride and groom who stared at the dark-skinned man from earlier. He had telltale signs of crumbs around his mouth. Just beyond him, the small table was bereft of the cake previously set up for the traditional sharing. “What happened?” Ellana asked. Some of the guests were laughing like Leliana, while others looked horrified.

“Sten ate the entire three tier cake,” Josephine said with a chuckle. “He didn’t leave anything for the rest of us, not even the frosting. Elissa is alternating being angry and laughing hysterically.” She then looked them over with a raised eyebrow. “But don’t let me interrupt your conversation.”

Ellana flushed, realizing they were still in their snuggle pose. Was she that engrossed in their conversation that she didn’t notice what was going on? Stepping away from Cullen’s side, she cleared her throat. “No, you weren’t interrupting. So, we aren’t going to get any cake then?” Perhaps Ellana should have stopped the Sten fellow when she saw him earlier, but she couldn’t bring herself to feel too guilty about it, especially if Elissa wasn’t very mad. “I guess that means I should head out.”

“Oh, Ella, you have to dance before you go!” Josephine protested.

The thought of dancing jolted pain up her legs. “Josie, my feet are killing me. If I try to dance in these heels, amputation is a distinct possibility. I’ll never be able to walk again.”

“I can give you a foot massage,” Cullen offered.

Both women turned to stare at him until he shifted uncomfortably under their twin gazes. “Or … not?” he asked.

Josephine waved them towards an empty table. “If that’s what it takes to get her to dance, massage away, Cullen.”

Ellana glared at Josephine who simply smiled her cat-ate-the-canary smile and sidled away. “I’m going to kill her,” she muttered.

Cullen cleared his throat and gestured to a seat. “Shall we? Unless you don’t want to. But I’ve been told I’m pretty good at massages.” He held up his hands and wiggled them.

Calculating the chances of her slipping away undetected, Ellana noticed Josephine speaking with Leliana and they both turned to look straight at her. She sighed and gave Cullen a weak smile. “Who am I to turn down a free massage?”

With the loss of the cake, the DJ opted to dim the ceiling bulbs in favor of colored strobe lights which focused on the dance floor. Couples began filtering out to sway to the slow song, led by Alistair and Elissa. Ellana sat down, laying the bouquet on the table, and watched the newlywed couple cling tight to one another, gazes locked as if no one else existed. Even Ellana’s grumpy mood eased when she saw how much in love they were.

“They’re perfect for each other, aren’t they?” Cullen remarked as he pulled up a chair close to her. “Let me start with the left foot, if you don’t mind.”

Ellana slipped off the heel with a wince and set the foot on Cullen’s thigh. “They really are. Not many people get to find true love like they did.” She then smothered a moan as Cullen’s large, warm hands touched her stockinged foot, exerting just enough pressure to ease the pain back and leave the muscles relaxed. “You really are good at this.”

Cullen chuckled as he moved towards the arch of her foot. “I used to wrestle in high school and we all learned a little about massages for aches and pains. Coach said it would help and he was right.”

Leaning back against the chair, Ellana fought the urge to close her eyes and slump like she was boneless. “Thank you, Coach,” she murmured, grinning when she saw that made Cullen smile.

They ensuing silence was oddly comfortable as the music swelled around and above them with couples sashaying in and out on the dance floor. The tempo gradually changed to a faster pace and the atmosphere charged with excitement, but it almost felt like they were in their own little bubble, shielded from the rest of the people. Cullen finally let her left foot down and gestured for the other which Ellana readily obliged.

“So, do you always let strange men massage your feet at weddings?” Cullen finally asked, his voice casual as it strove to be heard above the music.

“No.” Ellana contemplated her foot on his thigh, the magic hands working to chase the pain away. “Do you always give foot massages to women you’ve never met before at weddings?”

He flashed her a smile. “No.”

Ellana studied his face that was half cast in darkness because of the dimmed lights. The beginnings of bristles shadowed Cullen’s jaw and she realized the jagged scar on his upper lip was much deeper than she initially thought. His blond hair was slightly curled at the ends as if the last vestiges of mousse was about to give up and she had to resist the sudden urge to run her fingers through the golden locks to straighten them. His eyes, a warm brown edged with burnished gold, met hers. “Thank you for the massage,” she murmured, eyes darting away in an uncharacteristic gesture of meekness. Her stomach fluttered, churning uneasily at the frank admiration she caught in his gaze.

“I’m glad to be of service,” Cullen said. He stood up then and held a hand out. “Now that your feet should be feeling better, may I have this dance?”

Forcing herself to meet his gaze, Ellana hesitated for a moment before she put her hand in his. Instantly, the warm grasp pulled her up to her feet.

“Leave the shoes,” Cullen suggested. “It’s dark enough no one will notice. I’m certain Elissa kicked her heels off hours ago.”

“Are you sure?” she asked doubtfully but then Cullen tugged her hard enough that she nearly lost her balance, right onto the dance floor. With a grin, he caught her and immediately spun her around so she stepped in close to him and they joined the swaying bodies to the slow music.

Ellana blinked, wondering how he had done that. “Skilled masseur and an expert dancer?” she said with a quirk of her brow.

“Ah, that move? It’s something my two sisters made me practice with them when we were younger. I modified it a little, but it seemed to work quite well.” Cullen looked pleased with himself.

She couldn’t help but laugh at his preening. “Nicely done, sir.”

“Thank you. I’d do some other fancy moves to impress you, but I don’t have anymore. I’ve used up all my surprises for the evening.”

Her stomach fluttered again at the idea that Cullen would want to impress her. “I’d say you don’t need to do much more than that.”

“Really?” Cullen’s grip on her hand and waist tightened slightly. “So then, if I asked you out to dinner some time, you’d say yes?”

Ellana’s breath caught at his expression which was all at once hopeful and uncertain. For such a good looking man, he seemed rather unsure of himself at times, a trait she might have normally found irritating. But on Cullen, it was oddly endearing. “I would,” she said softly.

An expression that looked like a mix of wonder and relief crossed Cullen’s face, but it disappeared fast under the huge grin. “Great! That’s great. I’m uh - yeah, I’m glad. So how about tomorrow? Or, if that’s too soon, this coming weekend? I’m free on the weekdays too, if you are.”

“Tomorrow is fine,” she said, cutting in before he could suggest the entire month. “But please don’t make me wear heels.”

Cullen chuckled and drew her in a little closer so their chests brushed together. “I won’t.”

“Awww, isn’t this cozy?”

Ellana glanced to her right and saw Elissa and Alistair dancing right beside them, wearing identical smirks. “Cozy?”

Elissa looked at her husband. “See? I told you they were perfect for each other! You owe me a candlelit dinner and a cheesy romcom movie.”

Alistair groaned. “I thought you were joking about betting!”

“I never joke when it comes to romance, sweetie. You should know that by now,” Elissa said mildly. She caught Ellana’s gaze and winked. “Cullen’s a catch, Ella. Don’t let him go.”

“You mean you were trying to matchmake us?” Ellana asked, narrowing her eyes. Was that why she had been invited to this intimate wedding when some of their other Greek sisters weren’t?

“I’ve been trying to do it for years,” Elissa said without any sign of repentance. “But you always had a reason to skip dinner with us, or Cullen never showed when he was supposed to.” She glared at him.

“Sorry, Lis,” he murmured.

“This was my last ditch effort,” Elissa continued, ignoring Alistair wince as she listed her machinations. “I figured if you two didn’t meet at this wedding, it wasn’t meant to be. But here you two are now, inseparable after meeting one another. Just as I thought you would.”

“Darling, I see Teagan waving at us, we should really go to him,” Alistair interrupted. “So terribly sorry to dance and run, but can’t ignore the uncle of the groom, you know.” And without giving anyone a chance to respond, he whisked his bride away with a spin move that nearly bumped a half a dozen couples off-balance.

“Oh, you’d better hide her good, Alistair,” Ellana muttered, glowering after the retreating couple. She hated people scheming about her, hated the idea of matchmaking, and hated being manipulated.

“I’m so sorry about that,” Cullen said in a hasty apology. “I swear I had no idea what Elissa was doing.”

“It’s not your fault,” she said, relaxing a little when Cullen said he wasn’t involved with the bride’s plan. “I just dislike being tricked. And Elissa knows it, too!”

“She just got frustrated her plans weren’t working. Not that it excuses her behavior, of course, but we both know she means well.” Cullen shook his head. “Though that would also explain why Zevran and the others moved away with the garter toss. Elissa probably got them on board with the plan, especially when you caught the bouquet.”

Ellana sighed grimly. “Now I’m wondering how involved Josephine and Leliana are.”

“Don’t,” Cullen said. “Be angry if you have to, but don’t start second-guessing your friends.”

Knowing Cullen was right, she nevertheless looked for the two women and shot them an narrow-eyed glare just in case, even though they weren’t looking in her direction.

Cullen cleared his throat then. “Well, given what just happened, I’d understand if you want to cry off dinner with me tomorrow.”

Ellana turned her attention back to him, surprised at the quiet but sincere offer. “Why would I? I might not like what Elissa did, but I’m not so silly as to give up a date with a good-looking, charming man with magical fingers.”

At that, Cullen broke into a wide smile. “Great.”

The relief and warmth of his gaze softened Ellana’s anger. “Great,” she repeated with a smile of her own.

 

 

* * *

**Extra Scene**

Cullen insisted on walking her to her car, offering his arm which Ellana took with a demure smile, still holding onto the bouquet. She would keep it as a memento of how they first met.

Just as they stepped outside, a large hand landed on Cullen’s shoulders and stopped him from moving, which stopped Ellana since their arms were still linked. Surprised, both turned around and their gazes traveled up to meet Sten who returned their look with a stern one of his own.

“I understand you two are to be wed next, according to your customs,” he said, motioning to Ellana’s bouquet.

“Um,” she said, bewildered by the sudden acceleration of their relationship. “Could we maybe go on a date first?” she asked weakly.

Sten seemed to take her question literally. “If that is what you wish,” he conceded. “But I expect an invitation to your ceremony and you will provide a cake. A large one with each layer a different flavor. Are we in agreement?”

“What?” Cullen spoke up, exasperated. “You can’t expect us to make our wedding cake according to what you want!”

“Our wedding cake?” Ellana tried again. “Could we at least start with one lousy date before we have to get married?”

Sten ignored her and moved forward, his giant body suddenly turning threatening. “What is wrong with what I want?”

Cullen looked like he was about to say something to escalate the situation and while she didn’t know how well Cullen could hold his own, Sten was at least a foot taller and probably twenty pounds heavier. “Fine!” Ellana burst out. Both men turned to her in surprise and she scowled at them both. “Fine,” she repeated. “We’ll consult you on the flavors. But before anything like that happens, someone owes me a date.” She spun on her heels, ignoring the grinding pain lancing through her feet, and stomped away. When Cullen didn’t immediately follow, Ellana glanced over her shoulder. “Well, are you coming?” she asked, irritated at his imitation of a statue.

“Um, yes,” Cullen said hastily. He hustled to her side and picked up her hand to place it on his arm again, like before. “Where are we going?” he asked.

“On our date,” she said, still annoyed. “If we’re going to get married, I demand you at least take me out somewhere once before we discuss cake flavors.”


End file.
